According to the calendar, Landon Donovan won his most recent MLS Cup championship six years ago. According to the midfielder’s mind and body, it surely must seem like a whole lot longer than that.

The Donovan of 2005, the talented but often petulant and occasionally selfish player who many derisively dubbed “Landycakes,” is long gone. In his place, hardened by World Cup failure (2006) and redemption (2010), marriage and divorce and a public fall-out and reconciliation with the planet’s most famous player, stands an athlete who can will a team to victory even when far from the top of his game.

A lot has happened in the past six years. From the missed penalty kick in Seattle that cost the Galaxy the 2009 Cup to that legendary goal in Pretoria 16 months ago, from a frustratingly mediocre stint at Bayern Munich to a wildly successful loan with Everton, from the embarrassment of losing his club’s captaincy to David Beckham to the unquestioned leadership role he now commands, Donovan has scaled the depths and heights.

He claimed three championships as a boy, two with the San Jose Earthquakes and that 2005 title with L.A. Now 29, Donovan is 90 minutes from winning one as a man. The heavily-favored Galaxy play host to the Houston Dynamo on Nov. 20 in the MLS Cup final.

Donovan has been quoted on several occasions admitting he was spoiled by the trophy binge early in his career and didn’t realize how difficult and special it was to win a championship until he had to wait, struggle and suffer.

That full-field second-half sprint on a bum quadriceps to intercept a wide-open cross and deny a sure goal by the New York Red Bulls in last week’s quarterfinal was an indication. Monday’s decision to turn down his call-up to the U.S. national team for this week’s game in France was an indication.

Donovan is desperate to win this championship. And with this Galaxy side being compared to the best in MLS history, with the final at the Home Depot Center and with Beckham, perhaps, leaving the team when his contract expires next month, Donovan might never have a more golden opportunity.

He knows it. It’s obvious in the way he performs. He was, according to L.A. coach Bruce Arena, already evolving as a player following the 2010 World Cup.

“He's a much more complete player and may have actually, oddly enough, lost a step over the years,” Arena said. “But I think he's a tactically much more aware player. I think individually he's much more competitive and experienced, and I think every team he's on he makes a difference.”

Donovan tallied seven goals and 16 assists as the Galaxy won the Supporters Shield in 2010. During the 2011 regular season he scored 12 times but managed only four after returning from the CONCACAF Gold Cup in early July.

His performance with the U.S. national team during the continental championship tournament was uneven at best, and on the statistical surface it certainly appeared that Donovan wasn’t at his peak.

He wound up missing the September U.S. games against Honduras and Ecuador because of the injured quad and started only one of the Galaxy’s final five regular-season matches, sitting out the last three altogether.

In L.A.’s three playoff games, Donovan hasn’t lit it up. The attack has run through the in-form Beckham instead, and Donovan has missed a couple of sitters.

Still, Donovan's impact is felt on the field and in the locker room.

Rather than serving as the focal point of the offense, a role to which many fans might be accustomed, Donovan is playing deeper, paying careful attention to opposing attackers on the Galaxy’s right flank and working hard to maintain possession and feed the ball to Beckham, forward Robbie Keane and others. It’s far from glamorous work. But it makes a huge difference.

“That’s all part of playing that position,” Arena told Sporting News. "That’s part of the job description, which he embraces and does an excellent job at."

Said Donovan of his lack of scoring, “The last thing that comes when you’ve been out a while is in front of goal. All the sharpness, the final passes, the shooting. That’s always the last thing that comes.”

Meanwhile, Donovan is finding ways to make contributions and, perhaps more important, setting an example. Landycakes is now a model captain.

“It’s contagious,” midfielder Mike Magee told Sporting News after scoring the first of his three playoff goals. “When you see a guy like that working both sides of the ball and not caring whether he scores or gets an assist, you’ve got to put in that much more effort defensively. ... Those types of guys aren’t selfish. They’re not looking to pad their stats. They’re guys trying to win MLS Cup.”

Donovan conceded in a recent interview with the Los Angeles Daily News that he “was soft earlier in my career, no question.” But the roller-coaster ride of the past several years has forged a more mature person and player.

“Over the last five or six years now, I've spent a lot of time making sure that I'm the athlete I want to be and that I handle myself the way I want to handle myself on and off the field,” he said. "It's not always perfect. But I want to make sure I do things the right way and I'm pretty sure if you asked guys around the league I don't think there's too many who think I'm soft."

So at this point, the goals can wait. He did convert from the penalty spot against New York in the second leg of L.A.’s quarterfinal series and again in Sunday’s 3-1 Western Conference final triumph over Real Salt Lake. He also had an assist against RSL, playing Keane through for the late backbreaker.

Those moments, however, have been in isolation.

Donovan’s real contributions to L.A.’s title run haven’t necessarily shown up in the box score. He is the glue that binds the team together. No statistic can measure that.

The national team can wait. He has business to attend to back home.

“A lot of it’s based on expectations,” Donovan told Sporting News regarding the talk that his form is slipping or that he’s had better seasons. “I’ve always said the hardest thing, not only in this league but as a soccer player, is to do it consistently. So when guys come around and you see it so many times for one year, two years, do well then you never hear from them again. Guys who’ve done it for a long time, that gets a lot more of my respect.”

Effort, commitment and consistency. Donovan has practiced what he preached.

He wasn’t considered a contender for any league awards this year but was named Galaxy MVP by those who follow the team day-in, day-out. His impact is real and has led him to the doorstep of a meaningful championship.